NASA Facts

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Dryden Flight Research Center

P.O. Box 273
Edwards, California 93523
Voice 661-276-3449
FAX 661-276-3566
pao@dfrc.nasa.gov FS-2002-04-DFRC

Pathfinder

Leading the way in solar flight

The Pathfinder Plus flew two commercialization demonstration missions over Hawaii in 2002. --Nick Galante / PMRF for NASA

Just imagine...
• An aircraft that could stay aloft all day, powered only by sunlight.
• An aircraft that is no more than a flying wing, able to maneuver without rudders, ailerons, tails or other control
surfaces typical of conventional aircraft.
• An aircraft that flies without an onboard human pilot, but instead is controlled remotely from a ground station.
At the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, Calif., imagination has become reality, and that reality is the
Pathfinder solar-powered, remotely piloted aircraft.

Aircraft Description
The Pathfinder is a lightweight, solar-powered, remotely piloted flying wing aircraft that is demonstrating the
technology of applying solar power for long-duration, high-altitude flight. It is literally the pathfinder for a future fleet of
solar-powered aircraft that could stay airborne for weeks or months on scientific sampling and imaging missions.
Solar arrays covering most of the upper wing surface provide power for the aircraft’s electric motors, avionics,
communications and other electronic systems. Pathfinder also has a backup battery system that can provide power for
between two and five hours to allow limited-duration flight after dark.
1

 Pathfinder flies at an airspeed of only 15 to 25 mph.
Although pitch control is maintained by the use of tiny
elevons on the trailing edge of the wing, turns and yaw control
are accomplished by slowing down or speeding up the motors
on the outboard sections of the wing.
Pathfinder was designed, built and is operated by
AeroVironment, Inc., of Monrovia, Calif., the firm that
developed the pioneering Gossamer Penguin and Solar
Challenger solar-powered aircraft in the late 1970’s and early
1980’s.
Pathfinder Flight History
Pathfinder was first developed for a now-cancelled
classified government program in the early 1980’s to develop
a high-altitude, long-endurance aircraft for surveillance
purposes. Known as the HALSOL (for High-Altitude SOLar)
aircraft, its eight electric motors — later reduced to six —
were first powered by batteries. After that project was
cancelled, the aircraft was placed in storage for 10 years
before being resurrected for a brief program under the auspices
of the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO) in
1993. With the addition of small solar arrays, five low-
altitude checkout flights were flown under the BMDO program
at NASA Dryden in the fall of 1993 and early 1994 on a
combination of solar and battery power.
After that program was ended, the aircraft was adopted
into NASA’s newly-established Environmental Research
Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) project in late
1994. After further flight tests at Dryden that year, additional
solar cells were added, eventually covering most of the upper
surface of the wing. Pathfinder was then brought back for
another series of development flights at NASA Dryden in
1995. On Sept. 11, 1995, Pathfinder reached an altitude of
50,500 feet, setting a new altitude record for solar-powered
aircraft. The National Aeronautic Association presented the
NASA-industry team with an award for one of the “10 Most
Memorable Record Flights” of 1995.
After additional upgrades and one checkout flight at
Dryden in late 1996, Pathfinder was transported to the U.S.
Navy’s Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) at Barking
Sands, Kaua’i, Hawaii, in April, 1997. Kaua’i was chosen as
an optimum location for testing the solar-powered Pathfinder
due to predictable weather patterns, high levels of sunlight,
available airspace and radio frequencies and the diversity of
terrestrial and coastal ecosystems for validating scientific
imaging applications. While in Hawaii, Pathfinder flew
seven high-altitude flights from PMRF, one of which reached
a world altitude record for propeller-driven as well as solar-
powered aircraft of 71,530 feet.
Pathfinder “Plus” Modification
During 1998, the Pathfinder was modified into the
Pathfinder soars aloft from NASA Dryden on the first of its record
altitude flights on Sept. 11, 1995.
--NASA Dryden photo by Tony Landis
longer-winged Pathfinder-Plus configuration. On Aug. 6,
1998, the modified aircraft was flown to a record altitude of
80,201 feet for propeller-driven aircraft on the third of a
series of developmental test flights from PMRF on Kaua’i.
The goal of the flights was to validate new solar, aerodynamic,
propulsion and systems technology developed for the
Pathfinder’s successor, the Centurion/Helios Prototype, which
was designed to reach and sustain altitudes in the 100,000-
foot range.
Essentially a transitional vehicle between the Pathfinder
and the follow-on solar wings, thePathfinder-Plus is a hybrid
of the technology that was employed on Pathfinder and
developed for Centurion/Helios.
The most noticeable change is the installation of a new
44-foot-long center wing section that incorporates a high-
altitude airfoil designed for Centurion/Helios. The new section
is twice as long as the original Pathfinder center section and
increases the overall wingspan of the craft from 98.4 feet to
121 feet. The new center section is topped by more-efficient
silicon solar cells developed by SunPower Corp., Sunnyvale,
Calif., that can convert almost 19 percent of the solar energy
they receive to useful electrical energy to power the craft’s
motors, avionics and communication systems.,That compares
with about 14 percent efficiency for the older solar arrays that
cover most of the surface of the mid- and outer wing panels
from the original Pathfinder. Maximum potential power was
boosted from about 7,500 watts on Pathfinder to about
12,500 watts on Pathfinder-Plus.
In addition, the Pathfinder-Plus is powered by eight
electric motors, two more than powered the previous version
of Pathfinder. Designed for the Centurion/Helios Prototype
follow-on solar wings, the motors are slightly more efficient
than the original Pathfinder motors. The Pathfinder-Plus also
validated a new flight control system for the Centurion/
Helios Prototype, although only the Pathfinder’s own system
actually controlled the motors and control surfaces.

 Environmental Monitoring & Technical
Demonstration Missions
Major science activities of Pathfinder missions have
included detection of forest nutrient status, forest regrowth
after damage caused by Hurricane Iniki in 1992, sediment/
algal concentrations in coastal waters and assessment of
coral reef health. Science activities are coordinated by the
NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., and
include researchers at the University of Hawaii and the
University of California.
Thus far, Pathfinder has flight tested two new scientific
instruments, a high spectral resolution Digital Array Scanned
Interferometer (DASI) and a high spatial resolution Airborne
Real-Time Imaging System (ARTIS), both developed at
Ames. These flights were conducted at altitudes between
22,000 and 49,000 feet in 1997.
During the summer of 2002, the Pathfinder-Plus flew
several demonstration missions to confirm the practical
utility of high-flying, remotely piloted, environmentally
friendly solar aircraft for commercial purposes. A two-flight
series in July funded by Japanese communications interests
and AeroVironment emphasized its potential as a platform
for telecommunications relay services, and another NASA-
funded demonstration in September saw the Pathfinder-Plus
soaring aloft on a NASA-sponsored coffee harvest
optimization imaging mission. Both missions were flown
from PMRF on the Hawaiian island of Kaua’i.
Remotely piloted, solar-powered aircraft similar to
Pathfinder, such as the follow-on Helios ultra-long-duration
flying wing now being developed, could spend long periods
over the ocean, monitoring storm developments to provide
more accurate hurricane predictions. These aircraft also
could be used to monitor major croplands, forests and other
large, remote expanses to provide early warning of crop
damage or fires. In addition to their commercial
communications relay potential, they could also be
instrumental in quickly establishing emergency
communications links for recovery and relief workers in
areas struck by natural disasters where existing
communications infrastructure has been crippled.
Pathfinder takes off for a science demonstration mission over Hawaii
in 2002. -- Nick Galante/PMRF for NASA
The ERAST Program
Pathfinder is one of several remotely piloted aircraft
being evaluated under NASA’s Environmental Research
Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) program. The
ERAST program is one of NASA’s initiatives designed to
develop the new technologies needed to continue America’s
leadership in the highly competitive aerospace industry.
Additional technologies considered by the joint NASA-
industry ERAST Alliance include lightweight materials,
avionics, sensor technology, aerodynamics and other forms
of propulsion suitable for extreme altitudes and duration. The
most extreme mission envisioned for solar-powered aircraft
such as Pathfinder’s successor, the Helios, would reach
altitudes of up to 100,000 feet for science and commercial
applications, as well as fly for weeks or months at a time on
extended duration missions with the assistance of a fuel cell-
based supplemental energy system for nighttime flight.
The ERAST program is sponsored by the Office of
Aerospace Technology at NASA Headquarters, and is
managed by the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center.
Aircraft Specifications
• Wingspan: Pathfinder 98.4 feet (29.5 meters);
Pathfinder-Plus 121 feet (36.3 meters)
• Length: 12 feet (3.6 meters)
• Wing chord: 8 feet (2.4 meters)
• Wing Aspect Ratio: Pathfinder –12 to 1; Pathfinder-
Plus–– 15 to 1
• Gross weight: Pathfinder about 560 pounds (252
kg.); Pathfinder-Plus about 700 pounds (315 kg.).
• Payload: Pathfinder—up to 100 pounds (45 kg.);
Pathfinder-Plus up to 150 pounds (67.5 kg.)
• Airspeed: Approx. 17-20 mph cruise.
• Power: Arrays of solar cells, maximum output:
Pathfinder—about 7,500 watts;
Pathfinder-Plus—about 12,500 watts.
• Motors: Pathfinder, six electric motors;
Pathfinder-Plus, eight electric motors, 1.5 kW
maximum each.
• Endurance: About 14 to 15 hours, daylight limited
with two to five hours on backup batteries.
• Glide ratio (power off): Pathfinder—18 to 1;
Pathfinder-Plus—21 to 1.
• Manufacturer: AeroVironment, Inc., Monrovia,
Calif.
• Primary materials: Carbon fiber, Nomex,
Kevlar, plastic sheeting and plastic foam.
- NASA -
October, 2002